Traumatic evidence emerges of the last moments of some of the hijack victims, as emergency teams undertake a gruesome and perilous operation to find thousands of people trapped under the rubble of New York's World Trade Center.

There are glimmers of hope as survivors are pulled from the wreckage of the World Trade Center. But many thousands more are missing. Friends and families gather at help centres set up in New York in the hope of tracing their loved ones.

Friends and family of those missing embrace at the missing persons help centre

Some of the horror of what happened to the victims of the tragedy begins to come to light. People on board the hijacked planes made calls on their mobile phones and spoke of hijackers stabbing crew members before the planes were seized.

Rescue workers remove rubble from the wreckage of the World Trade Center

The rescue effort continues in Manhattan. Terry Cothren of ABC News accompanied a rescue team into the remains of the World Trade Center. He describes the scene inside the wreckage, and how the rescue workers are coping.

As the magnitude of the disaster became clear New Yorkers gave their accounts of the calamity which had befallen their city. People's reactions ranged from stunned disbelief to weeping. Others pitched in, doing what they could to direct traffic or assist people.

The extent of the damage to the city of New York is huge. In addition to the World trade towers, a third tower - the Solomon Brothers building - also collapsed. The task for rescue teams is enormous and getting New York back to normal is a daunting prospect.

Eighteen rescue teams are operating in the city, with support staff and vehicles brought in from other US states.
Five firefighters and a policeman were found alive shortly after dawn broke on Wednesday. Eight survivors have been pulled clear since Tuesday night, and around 40 bodies have so far been recovered.

Search efforts are continuing at the Pentagon in Washington which was partly destroyed by one of the hijacked planes.
Rescuers say between 100 and 800 people may have been killed at the site, as officials reopen the US defence department. However only half of the building is safe for use.